Solar Base Station Energy Storage Environmental Monitoring

How do I backup my solar monitoring system?

Reliable data backup and storage should be provided. A best practice is for data loggers to store 6 months of data and to backup data to cloud storage. A reliable method to “backhaul” the data is required. Most connect to the internet via DSL, but be aware that many site owners will not allow the solar monitoring system to use the site network.

Why is energy availability important in assessing PV systems?

Both energy and availability are necessary metrics for assessing PV systems. If the stakeholders involved in a contract are most interested in energy production, and if the contract holds parties responsible for energy production, then it is crucial that energy losses associated with unavailability and system performance are accounted for.

Why does a PV plant need a monitoring system?

Advanced operation of a PV plant such as modulating output or power factor can confound the drawing of conclusions from monitored data. A monitoring system should account for clipping of output due to high DC-to-AC ratio, interconnect limits, and called-for curtailment or any other reason.

What are open standards for solar monitoring systems?

As it relates to the quality of the solar monitoring system, open standards are applied at four levels: Information access to the data store from applications. High-quality monitoring systems can be built with proprietary methods that encourage lock-in to a single vendor.

How do I use SolarEdge's environmental sensors?

Use SolarEdge’s environmental sensors to monitor commercial sites’ irradiance, temperature, and wind velocity, and to calculate site performance ratio (PR)*. *The ratio between actual production of a PV system and received solar irradiation onsite. Used to evaluate system quality.

How much does a solar energy storage system cost on Alcatraz Island?

The National Park Service budgets, ideally, $100,000 per year for O&M of this PV energy storage system (308 kW PV; 1,920 kWh battery) on Alcatraz Island. Photo by Andy Walker, NREL Figure 13 shows the PV energy storage system on Alcatraz Island.